Steam Deck: All You Need To Know

The All-New Steam Deck is here! Valve finally launched its portable console and is known as Steam Deck. Steam Deck will be sending emails to all the people who have reserved before.

Those users who pre-booked the Steam Deck in July 2021 will be receiving their consoles shortly after the release date and that was 25th Feb.

So, if you are really looking forward to ordering one then you must know if it’s worth buying or not, and for that, you need to read the guide below where we will be telling you all you need to know about Steam Deck.

1. Steam Deck Availability

Whenever a console is released the first thing that comes into every person’s mind is: Will it be available or it will be out of stock like other famous consoles?

For now, you won’t find it in retail stores as Valve intends to partner with stores as the Steam Deck becomes more readily available, but for the time being, you can only buy the handheld directly from Steam.

Currently, a Steam Deck can be reserved for a $5 (£4) deposit. That $5 deposit will go toward the cost of the Steam Deck if you do decide to follow through and order one. It’ll be refunded if you change your mind and decide to cancel.

According to Valve :

When inventory is available, customers will be notified in the order reservations were made to make their purchase .

The Steam Deck is only available to reserve for the US, UK, Canada, and the European Union and will be also available in other countries shortly.

Now you will be really concerned about the price of the console and its variants so, for that, you can continue reading.

2. Pricing and Variants

There is a total of three versions available of Steam Deck and their prize varies according to the storage size.

  • $399 USD / £349 GBP for the 64GB version eMMC internal storage
  • Steam Deck specced with 256GB of NVMe storage for $529 USD / £459 GBP comes with more and faster storage as well as an exclusive Steam Community profile bundle and the aforementioned carrying case
  • And $649 USD / £569 GBP for 512GB which offers the fastest storage with its high-speed NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4). This version comes with a premium, anti-glare, etched glass screen; a unique carrying case.
steam deck all you need to know

The SSD will also be replaceable and will be upgradeable but according to Valve:

it chose the SSD in the Deck for its speed and to avoid electromagnetic interference with other components, so you shouldn’t expect any random off-the-shelf part to measure up. We’re keen to give it a try, anyways. But perhaps once we’re done benchmarking the Decks we have right now first

3. Inside of Steam Deck

Some of the users must be really keen to know What does the Steam Deck looks like on the inside?

We will answer that questions through a video guide but you should know that Valve doesn’t recommend you take apart the Steam Deck.

4. Steam Deck Features

The most important thing that everyone sees after looking at the price is the specification of the console.

Is it worth the amount of money they are asking?

Steam Deck, with a Linux-based operating system based on SteamOS, Deck is less like a handheld gaming console and more like a fully-functional PC that comes with a 7-inch Type and swipes through the Steam UI with Deck’s capacitive multi-touch display.

The major concern for any gamer is what kind of processor is used or it is that powerful or not?

So, for your information, the Steam Deck uses a custom-designed “APU”, a combination CPU-GPU architecture built by AMD. The CPU is the equivalent of a Zen 2 laptop processor with a 4/8 core setup of primary and secondary cores maxing out at 3.5GHz. The GPU is an integrated 8-core RDNA 2 design, some of the same architecture used in the latest consoles like the PS5 and Radeon graphics cards, but here implemented for operating on the low power requirements of a portable machine.

valve-steam-deck-amd-apu

All Steam Deck units use 16GB of RAM, which isn’t replaceable by the user. Moreover, The Steam Deck handles 2D low-power games like a champ, as you might expect, but it’s also surprisingly adept at the latest AAA 3D games. It can even do ray tracing, though players will probably want to turn it off for most games to avoid a steep performance penalty.

Steam Deck Specs

CPUAMD Zen 2
Core count 4-core/8-thread
CPU clock speed2.4–3.5GHz
GPUGPU AMD RDNA 2
GPU Compute Units8
GPU clock speed1–1.6GHz
RAM 16GB LPDDR5 @ 5,500MT/s 32-bit quad-channel
Storage64GB eMMC / 256GB NVMe SSD / 512GB NVMe SSD
Display7-inch LCD touchscreen
Resolution1280 x 800
Refresh rate60Hz
AudioStereo speakers, 3.5mm jack, dual mics, USB Type-C/Bluetooth
ConnectivityWi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB Type-C with DisplayPort 1.4 support
Battery40Whr
Size11.7 x 4.6 x 1.8-inch (298 x 117 x 49mm)
WeightApproximately 1.47 lbs (669 grams)
Price$399 (64GB) / $529 (256GB) / $649 (512GB)

5. Which Games Will Steam Deck Support?

As there are tens of thousands of games on the Steam platform but the company can’t test them all the same time but there are some famous title games being tested right now that will run on Steam Deck. Moreover, the verified games will show up with a green tick in your library on the device or you can check in the library while logging into your account on PC too.

If the game is playable and doesn’t qualify for that epic requirements of the Steam Deck are shown with a yellow “i” symbol and you will find a bunch of these games on Steam Deck but they also work quite well.

And if any game is not playable on Deck then it will be listed as unsupported as these games might not have been checked by Valve right now but maybe in the future, they will be supported. Wherever the most played game Fortnite will not be compatible on Steam Deck.

steam deck

6. Can the Steam Deck run Windows?

Steam Deck’s hardware is designed to run SteamOS for both its base software and its interface, as it’s an open platform, and Valve will allow users to install Windows (or other operating systems) if they want. But installing Windows might not be a good idea on Steam Deck as you might encounter less battery life and poor performance.

steam deck running windows

7. How long does the Battery last in the Steam Deck?

The battery timing of the console depends on your own usage but Valve claims that

Steam Deck’s onboard 40 watt-hour battery provides several hours of playtime for most games. For lighter use cases like game streaming, smaller 2D games, or web browsing, you can expect to get a maximum battery life of approximately 7-8 hours.

If you are playing a game with unlimited fps then your Deck battery will last about an hour or so but you should lock it at 30fps for your battery to last more hours.

And when it comes to charging then the Steam Deck comes with a 45-watt USB-C charger and needs about three hours (without playing) for a full recharge or you can use a power bank and a dock to charge your Steam Deck.

steam deck battery life

8. Is the Steam Deck bigger than the Nintendo Switch?

The Steam Deck is a lot bigger in size than the Nintendo Switch as it’s about 11.7 x 4.6 x 1.9 inches, which is just 9.4 inches wide with approximately the same sized screen for the new OLED model of Nintendo and if you want to be more precise than the Steam Deck is approximately two Xbox controllers wide.

steam deck all you need to know

The reason for such a big size is that Steam Deck comes from parts designed for laptops and the Steam Deck also needs a fairly sizeable battery, and enough space to keep all those components cool while you’re playing.

9. Does the Steam Deck come with a dock?

No, The Steam Deck doesn’t come with a dock as it was not released with it so, you have to buy it separately. Also, you can connect your Steam Deck to your TV or monitor too.

Valve has confirmed that:

We will release the official dock in late spring but we do have some pictures of what it will look like and know that it will provide DisplayPort and HDMI output, an Ethernet adapter, and three USB inputs.

valve steam deck launch

10. Can I use the Steam Deck for more than just Steam games?

Yes, you can use Steam Deck for more than games as it’s just like your PC and you can install Windows on it, also game storefronts like the Epic Store or Xbox Game Pass. The best part is that you can even wipe SteamOS off the Steam Deck completely and just use it to run Windows.

As Valve designer Lawrence Yang said says:

We don’t think people should be locked into a certain direction or a certain set of software that they can install. If you buy a Steam Deck, it’s a PC. You can install whatever you want on it, you can attach any peripherals you want to it.

So, that’s it and if you want to know more about the Steam Deck then you can visit their official website.

Zul
Zul

Zul is an avid gamer with a passion for RPG and racing games. He enjoys playing games like Need for Speed and Grand Theft Auto 5 and is also skilled at fixing errors and crashes to enhance the gaming experience. Zul stays up-to-date with the latest gaming news and enjoys sharing his knowledge through writing gaming guides and articles.
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